Campaign of the Month:
January 2012

Star Trek Late Night

Aylon

Ruled now by the Al-Malik, Aylon was once owned by the Ur-Ukar. It is famed for being the first planet the Prophet set foot upon after his miraculous vision (gained on a lost worlds beyond Aylon’s borders). Pilgrims come from all over annually to see the spot where the prophet first preached. The rest of the planet is taken up by large reserves, and the al-Malik make a lot of money catering to the interests of off-world hunters and recreationalists.

Originally colonized by the Ur-Ukar, Aylon was later conquered by a Church-led humanity. The al-Malik later seized it from the Keddah governor, further straining relations between the two families. Surviving Ur-Ukar dwell on reservations in the northern province of Mwerrid Mokta, where they possess vast subterranean holdings. The Ur-Ukar rebelled during the Emperor Wars. This rebellion was finally crushed, and ‘friendly’ Ur-Ukar were chosen by their conquerors to lead the clans. Zebulon the Prophet first preached on Aylon after his vision, and pilgrims annually flock to the site (known as Prophet’s Hill). The northern cities of Navarre, Ryoko and Sunval are trading zones, with Sunval boasting a reputation for one of the finest casino’s in the Known Worlds. Recently, interest in Ur-Ukar culture and art has increased. Mwerrid Mokta is mostly a mountainous and desert region. The southern region of Mwerrid Na’al is a temperate zone, holding vast agricultural estates and hunting reserves. Here nobles pay handsomely for the privilege of hunting the most challenging wild game animals of the Known Worlds.

The older generation of Aylon al-Malik are provincial but competent business people. Largely independent from court, they run their own affairs. The younger generation have appropriated certain Ur-Ukar ideas and survival skills. They are the House’s greatest warriors. Proud, self-reliant, and toughened by experience, they disdain the worldliness of the Istakhr court. Some believe that the next cycle of al-Malik rebellions will lead an Aylon alMalik to the throne.

Aylon is renowned for being the first world where the Prophet began preaching and for its great hunting reserves. Among these, the most mysterious is a vast plain located in the Dehorz-ha continent, in the Southern Hemisphere. Long-time hunters call these plains ‘The Living Land’ since its features seem to change from night to day. One day you find yourself in a green prairie, but if you dare to spend the night there you might awake in a tundra, or a barren wasteland, or a swamp, regardless of actual latitude or season. Moreover, compasses don’t seem to work there, and Aylon musk does not grow on the Northside of local trees. Even the sun seems slightly different, changing subtly in heat, size and color. Satellite reports revealed nothing.

Some Engineers think that an unknown, powerful type of terraforming engine, gone mad for some unknown reasons is buried somewhere in this region, while Eskatonic monks think that a powerful demon, maybe imprisoned there by Prophet Zebulon himself, lies there, awaiting the unwary traveler and cursing the Land. Others think of a strange disease, maybe of Symbiot origin. Fact is, no one knows the real causes behind the Living Lands.

However, some strange and rare animals have been spotted there: the Gliding Green Gyepard, a leopard-like feline, whose spots are green-coloured and, when running, it seems to hover in the air, or the Foursome Furball, a furry, slow bear-resembling animal that splits itself in four vicious autonomous part when attacked, each of these parts sporting a huge mouth with teeths whose sharpness rival Amen’ta’s.

Even weirder animals have been reported, but most of these reports are actually fake, since only a handful of guides and hunters have entered the Living Lands and managed to find the way out. There guides are widely sought out by young noble hotshots, willing to prove themselves they are good hunters, but they rarely take such wimps to the Lands.

Pilgrimage

First planet the Prophet set foot on after his miraculous vision, gained on a Lost World beyond Aylon.